Within the printing industry a variety of rolls are used for different purposes. In describing this invention, the term “roll” or “rolls” is used exclusively. However, the invention is equally applicable to sleeves, the distinction being that rolls typically have journals or shafts while sleeves are typically hollow in the middle. Some of these rolls are more costly than others such as anilox rolls for transferring ink to printing plates or gravure rolls in which the print image is engraved onto the metal surface. It is desirable to protect these rolls from damage when shipping them to locations, placing them into or out of the press or simply keeping them in storage. Various methods have been used to protect these rolls including vinyl blankets and plastic sleeves. The blankets often have a Velcro strap for holding the cover in place. The plastic sleeves are often slit down the length allowing the cover to be opened and wrapped around the roll. These types of covers work well for presses where the rolls are readily exposed and accessible to the operator. In recent years, however, a new type of press has become very popular wherein the rolls are mounted from the side of the press rather than the front. As a result, the operator no longer has access to the full roll length when it is in the press. Instead, they must slide the roll sideways, thus removing it from its mounting cylinder. With this configuration, it is very difficult to secure a cover to the roll.
Attempts have been made to develop new covers that can be mounted from the side of the press. One such approach is to use a thin sleeve with a rubber ring attached to the end of the sleeve that grips the roll upon contact. However, the sleeve must be sized very precisely in order to readily mount the sleeve due to the inability of the sleeve to deform in the cylindrical configuration.